busy last weeks (Part 2)

A last (for this season) trip to a neighborhood favorite that will forever hold a special place in our hearts as our first post COVID restaurant meal (we ate a lot of carry out from here during COVID lock down).  We couldn't decide on starters so we had a full selection. The heirloom tomato and tapenade tart was my favorite, but the Delice de Bourgogne was also very tasty. I would skip the Epoisses gougeres, I found them too large. Phil had the duck (he always orders it and takes half home) and I had the tartare royale. He has a dessert with hazelnuts and I (big surprise) went for the ice cream. We brought a 2005 burgundy and were thrilled with the way it showed. Really perfect timing on this bottle. A lovely evening for a farewell tour stop.

So this is truly bizarre.  Last night while having our farewell tour dinner at Le Bouchon, various folks were coming and going over the evening.  Three people came in and sat across the room from us. Then a couple came in and sat near us after greeting the three people. Twice the chef came out and talked to the couple. We commented to each other that it must be someone in the industry. Later we posited that the guy of the couple might be a DJ because he was so cool but friendly looking. So today I'm perusing my NYT feed and I see this article about a food critic so I open up the link (we eat, why not see what this person is eating) and lo and behold it's Keith Lee, the guy from last night! Too funny. What are the chances that I'd actually find out who the couple were the very next day while I still remembered the encounter. Never heard of him before but I can say he was very pleasant to the staff and to us. The server had brought us two glasses of chartreuse (and I cannot stomach it after a wild night with my late friend Jon and 2.5 bottles) so I refused it. She gave it to the couple nearby. We raised glasses to each other. When we left he nodded a goodbye. Don't know how his reviews are but he seemed like someone you could hang with if you were young, cool, and hip, instead of 70+ and seriously unhip no matter how cool we might be. The article is linked.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/dining/keith-lee-food-critic.html?smid=url-share

Then the next night we went to dinner with Lee & NIck at Mon Ami Gabi. Sorry about the missing photos of the steak frites x3 (all three men had them, Phil - the hanger with Bearnaise, Lee - the hanger with Bordelaise, Nick - the filet mignon with  no clue) I had the trout which I did manage to grab a photo of before devouring. For starters Lee & Phil had the colossal shrimp cocktails, Nick the onion soup au gratin, and I had a fabulous salad. Two good wines from the cellar, and excellent service. Desserts shown and noted on the menu. Phil declared it a perfect meal. Beautiful lobby and cozy restaurant.

Then a week of birthday celebrations for Phil's 70th (detailed in another post)

And, as I was about headed to Sevilla - we had dinner with Paige & Sharad at Coda di Volpe 

Finally caught up with dining friends Paige & Sharad just before I left Chicago. Great to catch up with two very busy people. The focaccia pizza was my favorite course. We split a salad and the focaccia and then each has a pasta course. Finished with three chocolate torte desserts.  #headingout

And then I was off for the first full season in Spain... already booked with lots of visitors and a few trips of our own - to Tenerife and A Coruna as well as Madrid and Barcelona.... a calendar already full of fun.

The flight to Sevilla via Madrid was on time.

I arrived with my 118 pounds (literally) of luggage and have been unpacking and organizing stuff all day. Sat down to watch my zoom class from Northwestern University with my favorite professor Nick Davis! And had a tuna fish sandwich (our apartment is bare of food LOL- grocery tomorrow) and caught up on my blog posts. So herewe are. 

Phil is still in Chicago. He went to a concert (Graham Nash) with Ron & Mary on Wednesday night and then had dinner with our friend Mac on Thursday. 

Next week he's meeting up with Lee for dinner and then doing a four day music conference.... so he won't be bored. I am headed to Portugal to visit Laurie Estabrooks. And then our cousin Oscar is visiting from Madrid for a week or so.  No rest for the wicked as my father always said LOL